Watch ‘Wicked’ stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo open 2025 Oscars with ‘Defying Gravity’

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the 2025 Oscars with a medley of ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Home’ and ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ – watch footage of the moment below.

• READ MORE: Oscars 2025 winners – see the full list

The duo took to the stage at last night’s (March 2) Academy Awards ceremony after a montage of clips from previously Oscar-nominated films were shown.

Grande kicked off the performance by singing the Wizard of Oz classic ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, with Erivo taking on Diana Ross’ ‘Home’ from The Wiz. Later that night, Queen Latifah performed another Wiz cut, ‘Ease On Down The Road’, in tribute to Quincy Jones.

After Erivo’s solo, the pair launched into Wicked‘s ‘Defying Gravity’ – Grande stepped aside to let Erivo belt the song’s iconic battle cry as the floor elevated to lift her into the air, stirring a big reaction from the audience at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater.

Both Grande and Erivo were nominated for their respective Wicked roles, with Grande nominated in the Supporting Actress category and Erivo as Best Actress.

The ‘eternal sunshine’ singer’s competition included Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and Zoe Saldaña, who won the category for role in Emilia Pérez.

Her co-star was up against Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez), Demi Moore (The Substance) and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), with Mikey Madison winning out for Anora.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Academy decided to open the show with a Wicked medley, but it was later revealed that it wasn’t set in stone at the time, prompting Erivo to say the idea felt like “wishful thinking”.

It was previously that this year’s ceremony will not include live performances for the Best Original Song category, where previously artists nominated in the category would perform throughout the night in the lead-up to the award being presented. Instead, the show is spotlighting “personal reflections” from the songwriters.

In addition, other performances of the night included a tribute to the James Bond franchise featuring by Doja Cat, BLACKPINK‘s Lisa, Raye, and Margaret Qualley.

Saldaña, the eventual winner of Best Supporting Actress over Grande, later gave a sobering response to her win when one journalist called Emilia Perez out for being “really hurtful” for Mexicans.

In a four-star review of Wicked, NME wrote: “Wicked flags a little in the middle, but not enough to dampen a dramatic climax in which Elphaba and Glinda travel to Oz to meet the fabled Wonderful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). He and Yeoh sell their brief musical numbers on twinkly charisma, but Erivo and Grande are both vocally extraordinary.”

“Crucially, they also have crackling chemistry punctuated by Erivo’s bursts of intensity and Grande’s slick comic timing. By the end, you won’t quite be levitating off your seat but you’ll definitely be enchanted enough to stream the soundtrack on the way home. Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz.” Wicked: For Good, the follow-up to the 2024 film, is due for release November this year.

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